Well, it might, at least, be more entertaining if the place was managed by the Keystone Cops…read more Their major concerns are collecting rent and making sure people don't pick up the pecans that are all over the grounds.
If you see older reviews about Miss Janice - for better or worse - she's gone. The new "property manager," Lacy Smith, apparently is hamstrung and hapless. The owners regularly do things without her input, and she does not seem to know enough about the job to do it properly. She is not much more than a glorified bookkeeper and receptionist.
Mrs. Smith does not live on the property or, even, in Albany. She apparently lives about two hours away in Richland. This means that she is perpetually late in the morning and leaves promptly at five o'clock - if not earlier. Her lunch runs from whenever she leaves to whenever she comes back. The leasing office hours are just a suggestion, it seems. I rarely saw her in professional attire.
She seems to treat the tenants like school children. I was several times blessed with grammatically-challenged and non-spell-checked "news letters," filled with veiled threats and expressions of management's lack of care about tenant safety. It seems that tenants are a bother to her.
And they do not appear to care about tenant safety. Even they admit that crime is up in the neighborhood but do nothing about it. The cameras on property seem to exist so that they can watch the tenants. There are obvious gaps in the coverage, and the cameras do not appear to be recorded. Furthermore, while some tenants have their own electronic security systems, I was not even allowed to put a chain on my front door at my own expense.
While the complex is close to several schools, and I know that there are a number of children living there, I never saw them playing outside. I would not suggest that you walk around outside after dark. It was common for strangers to come onto the property on weekends, when the office is closed, to dump their trash - and pick up nuts.
Management may enter your apartment without notice and happily hand out keys to any contractor. On top of a number of the unannounced entrances by maintenance, I had a painter, who was only working on the outside and did not need to be inside, come into my apartment while I was taking a shower. He left all of the doors open, letting my cat out. When I told him to leave, he refused until I started to call the police.
Generally, maintenance was something that they appeared to do when they got around to it. And it left something to be desired. They did not keep the grass cut, let alone properly maintain the buildings. Even though my unit was "remodeled," every mechanical system had a problem - including several electrical outlets that did not work, every sink developing a leak, the hot water heater failing, and the air conditioning system failing. They appear to have a pair of carpenters employed full time trying to catch up with deferred maintenance and making empty units rentable.
There are a number of empty units on the property, and the management appears to be making it worse by forcing out the long-term tenants. The owners freely admitted to me that they do not have leases or any kind of proof of agreement with a number of these tenants - at least some of whom are elderly on limited budgets. Rather than accept the steady rent of these folks who are already resigned to doing their own maintenance, management appears to be making it untenable for them to stay. In a three month period, everyone in my building left.
Based upon talks with tenants of color, they seem to be treated differently. The same may be said of women who are of child-bearing age but do not appear to be in a relationship with a man. No matter how nice Lacy, Cathy, Misty, or Joe may treat you, it does not seem to be a reflection of their honest attitudes. And the two remaining maintenance guys will not say an ill word, presumably for fear of their jobs.
Do not consider renting from Huntingdon. They are not interested in building a community, let alone the basics of running a complex. There are much better places to live in Albany.
Edit: The tone and content of the "response" by Mrs. Smith tells a lot about how management at Huntingdon is.
Edit 2: Mrs. Smith apparently edited her response. Please see the image of what she originally said and take heed. No level of covering up changes that kind of attitude.
